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1992-03-03
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This file contains three sections: ZanySoft programs, ZDir notes, and ZDir
release history.
Zanysoft programs:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ZDir, a powerful directory utility with coloring by extension, sorting,
easy configuration, full wildcards, and more.
Current version: 2.0
ZD86 (ZanySoft Debugger), a powerful symbolic debugger with pull down
and pop up menus, multiple resizable overlapping windows, and
of course, it is fully configurable.
Current version: 1.01
ZDir notes:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ZanySoft Dir (ZDir) is an easy to use and very powerful directory lister. The
main purpose of ZDir is to replace the generic DIR command with a fast, easily
readable display with more functionality. It can organize the file listing
with many sorting options, color files based upon their extension, choose how
many columns to use in the display, find files, draw a tree of the directory
structure, use full-scale wildcards, and much more. Besides being powerful and
easy to use, ZDir is also easy to configure with the included configuration
program ZDircfg. It is very easy for a novice computer user to learn how to
use ZDir, but has many features that expand upon the basic directory listing
capability.
The complete ZDir package consists of ZDir.com, ZDir.doc, ZDircfg.exe, and
Readme.doc (this file). If you do not have all of these files, then you do not
have the complete ZDir package version 2.0. If you want to jump right in to
using ZDir, pause for a second and read section 3 of ZDir.doc, the Quick-start.
It should give you a brief overview of what ZDir is all about in only a couple
of minutes.
ZDir is Shareware, and if you choose to use it after a short trial period then
you are obligated to pay for it. For a more thorough discussion of Shareware,
see section 2 of the manual (ZDir.doc). Typing ZDir /R from the DOS prompt
will display a registration form, which you can print out, fill out, and send
in.
ZDir release history:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.0 Enhancements:
Full-scale wildcards are now accepted. Full wildcards are much
more flexible than normal DOS wildcards: *'s and ?'s can be
put anywhere, such as ZDir *z??d*8*6?.?o* . Since this
replaces string searching, string searching has been removed.
For the same function, just surround the string with *, like
this: ZDir *string* .
The configuration option as well as many other options have
been removed from ZDir and placed into a separate configuration
program called ZDircfg. This should make the configuration
and upgrading of ZDir painless. ZDircfg is a menu driven
program that allows you to set all colors, defaults, and
extensions, and save and load configuration information
from ZDir. Because of this, most configuration options have
been removed from ZDir for ease of use, so only non-configurable
commands (/F, /?, and /R for example) are left. Changing
the number of columns and primary sort are still available
on the command line of ZDir for one-time runs, which you
do not want to make defaults.
New feature /T added to make a directory tree from the
specified directory on down, giving the number of files
and total size of each directory, adding up only files which
match the filespec.
Option added in ZDircfg to have directories appear clumped
together at the beginning or end of the file list, or sorted
with other files like in the past.
Configured extensions may now have wild cards in them! Lower
number extensions have priority, so that the more general the
extension specification (w or w/o wildcards) the earlier in
the extension list it should be put (C should be earlier than
C??, otherwise the C?? color would be found before the C color).
A new command line option, /U, makes ZDir only list files
that match "user extensions", which are set in ZDircfg.
When prompted to press any key, the Enter key prints one line
and then waits for another key. Any key except for the Enter
key prints another full screen of data.
ZDir works with size text screen, including 132 column text
modes of many super VGA cards.
Setting sorting by attribute on the command line removed,
and writing ANSI color codes to the file specified by /L,
which used to by /M, is now /A
Disks with a serial number now optionally have the serial
number printed next to the volume label.
In alternate output files, interecting or corner lines are
now represented by +, not *.
Sorting by attribute eliminated--it's useless.
2.0 Bug fixes:
File sizes of over 100,000 were often reported slightly
lower than the actual size. *Fixed*
All previous versions of ZDir sometimes would give incorrect
listings or even lock up in directories with 254 or 255
files. *Fixed*
ZDir 1.3 and 1.4 did not display the top two lines on
8088/8086 system. *Fixed*
ZDir 1.4 would lock up on CGA systems--sorry about that!
*Fixed*
When doing a Full path search, the final report would give
an incorrect number of directories searched (in version 1.4
only). *Fixed*
The alternate output would not get the first line of the
display (in version 1.4 only). *Fixed*
Now, Ctrl-C and Ctrl-break will actually quit ZDir at almost
any time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.4 Bug fixes:
A slight glitch in the attribute changing mechanism sometimes
would cause a divide overflow. *Fixed*
ZDir would sometimes not scroll up the screen at the end,
and so the bottom line of information would be overwritten.
*Fixed*
If a directory had the same extension (or lack thereof) as
one of the 30 specified on the configuration screen, the
directory name was shown in the extension color, not the
directory color. *Fixed*
If run in graphics mode ZDir did not switch into text mode
and display a listing. *Fixed*
File entries with a year or 2101 or larger would make the
display be misaligned. *Fixed*
1.4 Enhancements:
The current time and date as reported by DOS are now printed
on the top line of the display. The second line has the path
and volume label.
Certain long paths will not fit on the same line as the
volume label. If a path will not fit, the minimum number
of directories needed to make the path fit are removed
from the display, replaced by a \...\. For example, running
ZDir c:\dos\util\sharewar.e\dir\awesome\colorful\best\zdir.com
ZDir may need to replace the path spec with
c:\...\dir\awesome\colorful\best\zdir.com in order to fit it
on the screen.
Commas are now printed in the numbers in the summaries for
easier reading. A new options in the Default Configuration
Screen allows you to select whether file sizes have commas
put in them as well (except for 6 digit file sizes in non-
one column mode -- commas wouldn't fit!). The new command
line option , (e.g. ZDir /,) toggles the default.
In the Color Configuration Screen, page up and page down
now change the foreground color, and ctrl-page up and
ctrl-page down change the background color.
When string searching is enabled and you run
ZDir d:\directory, ZDir will assume you meant
ZDir d:\directory\*.*, saving you the typing of the \.
When doing file finds with the F option, directories are
shown directly after their parent, instead of all directories
one level deep, then all directories 2 levels deep, etc.
New choice in Default Configuration Screen: All information
about each file can be the same color as the file.
The Y command in conjunction with an attribute changing
command will now change the attributes of all found
directories as well as all found files.
Ctrl-Break will now abort ZDir most of the time.
During the "advertisement" in the unregistered version,
the escape key now quits back to DOS.
ZDir now fully supports any number of rows on the screen
(including 43 and 50 line modes).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.3 Bug fixes:
When the disk drive being listed was created with SUBST or
ASSIGN ZDir incorrectly tried to list (drive):\\*.*. *Fixed*
When Auto-detect columns was on and ZDir /1 (or 2, 3, 4, 6, or
W) /q was then typed, auto-detection was not turned off.
*Fixed*
Files with a year of 200x were displayed incorrectly.
*Fixed*
When run directly from other programs, there was usually a
divide overflow. *Fixed*
String searches of over 8 characters were truncated to only
8 characters. *Fixed*
1.3 Enhancements:
Secondary sort type can now be specified in the /Q Default
Configuration Screen. Any ties between files on the primary
sort type will be broken by the secondary sort type. Any ties
on the secondary sort type are broken by filename.
In the Default Configuration Screen, two new choices have been
added: (1) Show the . and .. files, or totally ignore them,
and (2) include directories in the file count, or do not count
them.
The command L(filename) sends the output of ZDir to a file
or device. It writes graphic lines only if that option is on.
It will not write over existing files.
Example: ZDir *.WK3 /LC:\spread.lst
To send output to the modem, type ZDir /Laux
The P command has been disabled, so to send output to the
printer, type ZDir /Lprn
The M command turns on ANSI color control on the secondary
output device specified with the L command, for this run only.
NEVER turn this on when output is to the printer.
The Color configuration screen is now more user friendly,
as you can hit page up and page down to change the color
when the arrow points to the extension.
The Network attribute is now shown whenever the other
attributes are shown, at the end (if all file attributes
are on, it would show AHRSN). With 2 column display, the
N may touch the file date.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.2 Bug fixes:
File sizes over 1 meg were displayed 1 character to the left.
*Fixed*
Directories with over 1000 files would make ZDir lock up.
*Fixed*
Volume labels were sometimes displayed with a . (period) that
was incorrect. *Fixed*
1.2 Enhancements:
String searching function--when a file name is given without
wild cards, all files are searched for the string anywhere
in the name (I option toggles on/off).
When outputting to the printer, display is shown on the
screen as well, and the G option toggles printing graphic
line characters or replacing them.
The Q command now invokes a full screen editor of default
options.
K command toggles the wait for key at the end of every
displayed screen, B command toggles BIOS screen writes,
and E command toggles clearing the screen to start.
Full path search with the F command will locate all files
in the specified directory and all of its subdirectories.
Auto-column detection (with the U command) will determine
how many columns to use in the display depending on the
number of files found.
One column mode now displays the space taken up be each
individual file, in the 'totals information' color, as
well as the network attribute with an N.
Attribute changing added with the [+|- A|H|R|S] commands.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.1 Bug fixes:
File errors (when saving default colors and settings) were
not reported. *Fixed*
In certain cases file sizes with a 0 in the thousands' place
would be printed incorrectly. *Fixed*
Commands such as ZDir .com were not correctly expanded to
ZDir *.com. *Fixed*
Incorrect drive specification was not reported. *Fixed*
If ZDir was run from a directory with an extension, then the
directory contents were not shown. *Fixed*
Some large directories had a "using up" space that was
incorrect. *Fixed*
1.1 Enhancements:
Addition of 2, 3, 4, and 6 column modes added using the #
as a command line parameter.
Printer support through the P parameter.
The cursor is now placed at the current row on the screen,
so that on systems with only 1 drive emulating 2 the
message "Place disk in B:" will be visible.
A - or a / may be used to specify command line arguments.
Arguments may be specified by either /|-[args] (such as /z1)
or /|-[arg1] /|-[arg2] /|-[arg3] (such as /z -1).
The configuration is now MUCH more user friendly.
Files with a volume label attribute are now also printed,
so that there is no way to hide files from ZDir.
Up to 30 extensions and their colors may now be specified.
File sizes of 1 megabyte or larger are now displayed in terms
of Megabytes, such as 1.0M, 14.4M, 52.8M.
The top of the display is now better, using up only one line,
or two if the path specification is long ( >36 characters).
Secondary sorting by file name added.
And many other niceties, including a faster sorting algorithm.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.0 First public release of ZDir.
